Western appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1885-18??, 1887-12-03
TIE GREAT BRIDGE.

the parade. Long before the appointed
hour the streets along the line Of
march were thronged with people.
The procession was the largest ever
seen in Dubuque or even in Iowa. It
was over three miles in length, and in the
trades display was represented every
branch of manufacturing and COM
mercs in the city. Its route led across the
new bridge to the suburban town
OF East Dubuque, in Illinois The huge
structure was thoroughly tested by the
weight OF the procession. 1t bore its bur
den without the slightest evidence Of weak.
ness. The procession, after brief tour in
East Dubuque, returned to the Iowa side
and dispersed
Thousands of strangers visited the bridge
and tarried for hours upon the massive
structure, carefully inspecting all of the
many interesting features of this great
monument Of mans engineering skill and
power: The speeches Of the day were de-
liyered in the Congregational church, and
consisted Of an address of welcome by Hon.
). 4 Graves and brief remarks by B. ]
sO'NeiI, president of the bridge company.
and others. The crowd then turned its at
tentlon to divers forms of amusement and
holiday sport At least 10000 people
crossed the bridge An engineer tested the
bridge when the greatest strain was upon
it, and found the DETECTION to be but 80 100
OF an inch.
The closing hours Of the day were full of
mlrth and pleasure By 6 o'clock the rail-
roads had emptded the city of it's burden of
visitors The great high bridge celebration
was at an END, and is everywhere voted a
grand success
lRnpfh Tn ,1r,, h,rs1r -
$500 feet 100 feet more than one-half mile. OF
this 500 feet GO feet are in the main portion
OF the bridge and 500 feet in the East DUBUQUE
approach. There are nine spans, four of 225
feet each, two OF 12O feet each, two of 248A
feet each, and one of 1853 feet, making the total
of $500 feet. The width of the railway in the
clear is IS feet, with a passenger way on each
side of 5 feet each in the clear. making the
total width about 80 feet. The railway on the
Iowa side starts at an elevation of four and one
nall feet above high water mark, and rises at a
uniform grade of four feet to 100 to the center
OF the channel or cantilever span. From that
point it descends at the same uniform grade to
the Illinois shore, which it reaches at an eva
ton Of forty -two feet above high water mark
from this the roadway extends along the eastern
approach at a slight descending grade until it
strikes the grade of Wisconsin avenue The
height at the center of the main channel is
fifty-fye feet in the clear above high water
"a ARK, and the floor of the roadway is three feet
above that. The difference between high and
low water marks is almost twenty-three feet,
SO that the roadway stands eighty-one feet
above low water mark. The highest pier
is seventy-six feet above the foundation.
In the piers and foundations for the
same there was used, $500 cubic yards of
masonry $4,000 feet of piling $500 cubic yards
of rip-rap and 1900 feet of lumber. In the SUI
perstructure 400, 900 feet of lumber was used in
the flooring and 100000 pounds of iron. In
the eastern approach 1000 cubic yards OF the
solid stone OF the bluff had to be blown up, and
1000 cubic yards of masonry were laid in the
retaining wall. The largest river steamer can
pass under it without Interruption
The company is composed OF the representa-
tive men of the city and East Dubuque Every
business man subscribed as much as he was
able and as much as his business allowed. They
now feel that their investment was q good one
and that the bridge will prove itself as the
means OF producing a revenue besides increas.
ing the business of the city. Bernard j. O'Neill
is president The first pile for the construction
OF the bridge was driven September z, 1856,
and the work has constantly been pushed from
that time on. The total cost Of the bridge
was S127.200. II. e. Hirton, OF Rochester, n
T.. was the CONTRACTOR